December

Sarah MacLean: "As winter approaches - bringing cold weather and family drama - we crave page-turners, books made for long nights."


The days of December may be shorter in sunlight but the to-do lists just get longer. Clean. Decorate. Bake. Shovel. Wrap. Celebrate. Visit. Be sure to set some time aside each evening to read. Brew a cup of hot tea or pour a glass of wine. Gaze out the window and watch the snow fall and slowly accumulate. Or, if you're lucky enough to be in the South, sit out on your porch and enjoy the twinkling stars through a canopy of palm trees. Wherever December finds you, read and rejuvenate.

Readers needing to stockpile books for the long winter ahead will be happy to find new releases by James Lee Burke, Jayne Ann Krentz, Stephanie Laurens, James Rollins, Danielle Steel, Terry Brooks, Martha Stewart, Christopher Buckley, Bee Wilson and Dean Koontz. Watch for Pablo Hidalgo's Star Wars: The Force Awakens The Visual Dictionary. And the annual favorite - World Almanac and Book of Facts 2016.


                                December Days 
                         

1     - Rosa Parks Day

2      - Birth of Ann Patchett, 1963. Bel Canto

4     - National Cookie Day

5     - Birth of Calvin Trillin, 1935. Alice, Let's Eat

6     - St. Nicholas Day

8     - Pretend to be a Time Traveler Day

9     - Birth of John Milton, 1608. Paradise Lost

10    -Birth of Emily Dickinson, 1830. Poems

14    - Birth of Shirley Jackson, 1916. The Lottery

17    - Wright Brothers Day. Read David McCullough's The Wright Brothers

20    - Poet Laureate Day. Who is the poet laureate of your state?

22    - First Day of Winter

23    - Birth of Norman MacLean, 1902. A River Runs Through It

24    - Egg Nog Day

26    - National Thank You Note Day

28    - Birth of Stan Lee, 1922. Spider-Man

31    - Make Up Your Mind Day; Universal Hour of Peace Day 


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                        Random Word


Eugene Ionesco: "A writer never has a vacation. For a writer, life consists of either writing, or thinking about writing." 


Coda: \Koh-duh\noun\Italian/Latin 1745-55\ The concluding part of a literary work, especially a summary at the end of a novel. Also, in music and ballet - at the end of a composition or final part of pas de deux. Random House Dictionary 


Congratulations to everyone who participated in National Novel Writing Month, National Memoir Writing Month, or endeavored to write every day in November. Keep writing and reading and thinking!



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                     And away we go...


Roberto Saviano (Italian journalist): "Every hour seems pointless, wasted, if you don't dedicate your energies to discovering, flushing out, telling."      


We're halfway through November - the month of novel writing (or essays or picture books or memoir). And today is I Love to Write Day. 

Are you busy writing every day? Dreaming of impeccable nouns and verbs? Pleased when one perfect sentence is finally written? 

Or are you regretting that story idea, ripping up the first draft, and cursing the idea that you ever thought you could write?

Welcome to the world of staring at blank pages and missed deadlines. But there's also the world of that aforementioned perfect sentence or impeccable noun.

If you're stuck or even on a glorious roll, try one of these three exercises from Now Write! Nonfiction, edited by Sherry Ellis.

*In 15 minutes, write about the first 15 years of your life. Don't edit or sabotage - just WRITE. Use a timer.

*Finish this sentence: "I'm the kind of person who _____________ but ______________.

*Find a street corner or a park; sit with eyes closed, and listen to the passing voices. Form an image of what someone looks like...open your eyes. Does your expectation meet what you see?

If you're really stuck, rewrite another writer's essay or chapter - would you finish "The Grapes of Wrath" in the same way? Or, go to an art museum and sit in front of a painting...write what is going on just beyond the frame, to the left (or right!) of the painting. For example, in Renoir's Dance at Bougival, what music is playing? Are other couples dancing? What conversation could be overheard? 

There are almost countless books about writing...check your library (shelf 808) or book store. A few ideas:

* Now Write series - fiction, nonfiction, mysteries
* Writing Down the Bones - Natalie Goldberg
*The Writing Life (compilation of essays from National Book Award winners and finalists.
*The Art of Description - Mark Doty
*On Writing Well - William Zinsser
*Bird by Bird - Anne Lamott
*We Wanted to be Writers - Eric Olsen & Glenn Schaeffer
*Write Away - Elizabeth George
*Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction - Patricia Highsmith
*On Writing - Stephen King
*A Field Guide for Immersion Writing: Memoir, Journalism, Travel - Robin Hemley
*The Discovery of Poetry - Frances Mayes

It's not too late to grab a pencil, take a deep breath and begin to write your story. 


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                         November

Ray Bradbury: "You must write every single day of your life. You must lurk in libraries and climb the stacks like ladders to sniff the books like perfume and wear books like hats upon your crazy heads...may you be in love every day for the next 20,000 days. And out of that love, remake a world." 


Ray Bradbury (Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles) may have been a fan of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). The idea is fairly simple: write a novel in 30 days. Remember, I said the IDEA was fairly simple, not the action itself! If you've ever sat staring at a blank page or screen while your brain screams for the right verb or adjective, you know that "The Grapes of Wrath" or "The Metamorphosis" weren't penned over a weekend. Maybe a decade of weekends.

Writers write. Writers edit. Writers cry. Writers rewrite. Writers whine. Writers read. Writers write again. And sometimes the idea of not writing is even scarier than the blank page. 

If you believe you have a story to tell, tell it. Maybe it's a novel or a poem, a picture book or an epic essay. Maybe it's a story about your family or your college years or the cute puppy that understands the true meaning of friendship. 

This month is all about writing. Grab a pencil, take a deep breath and start at the beginning. Write your story. 

Beatrix Potter: "There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never quite know where they'll take you." 


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Readers will be thankful to find new books by Michael Connelly, David Balducci, Janet Evanovich, Stephen King, John Irving, Carly Simon, Jeff Kinney, Marissa Meyer, Giada De Laurentiis, Neil Gaiman, Mitch Albom, Rick Steves, Nora Roberts, James Patterson, Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, Shonda Rhimes, Mary Higgins Clark, and Isabel Allende.



November is National Memoir Writing Month, National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), Family Stories Month, National Family Caregivers Month, Picture Book Month, National Family Literacy Month. 



                                        November Days

1      -  National Authors Day

1-7   -  World Communication Week

5      -  National Love Your Red Hair Day

9-15 -  World Kindness Week

10    -  Sesame Street Day

14    -  World Pickle Day

15    -  I Love to Write Day

16-20- National Book Awards Week

19     - Rocky & Bullwinkle Day

21     - Guinness World Record Day

22     - Mother Goose Day

24     - Dr. Who Day

27     - National Day of Listening

30     - National Math Awareness Day


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October, or turning over a new leaf

Thomas Merton: "October is a fine and dangerous season in America...a wonderful time to begin anything at all."

Every year on my birthday and, again, on January 1, I set goals and list any changes I need/want to make. Sometimes I'm successful in my changes, other times not so much. After watching the leaves begin to turn from green to red or gold, I am reminded that change can come at any time, not just on a birthday or the start of a new year. This is the beginning of a new year, of sorts. Since spring, I've enjoyed watching the first appearance of tiny buds, slowly growing into full leaves which provided shade all summer. Now, they're giving me one last burst of color. And a lesson on turning over a new leaf.

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Readers will be happy to find new books by Adiana Trigiani. Sophie Kinsella, John Grisham, Debbie Macomber, Nicholas Sparks, Vince Flynn, Rainbow Rowell and Jane Smiley.

October is National Book Month, National Reading Group Month, Computer Learning Month, National Pizza Month, Children's Magazine Month, Photographer's Appreciation Month.  

October Days

1      -  International Music Day

2-4   - National Storytelling weekend

4-10 - Mystery Series Week

          Great Books Week

13    - Silly Sayings Day

14    - national lowercase day

16    - National Dictionary Day

18-24 -Teens Read Week

19      - Evaluate Your Life Day

20      - Information Overload Day

24      - Make a Difference Day

25      - World Pasta Day

30      - Checklist Day (Rory Gilmores of the world, unite!)

31      - National KnockKnock Joke Day

            Happy Halloween

                         September

Jane Penderwick: "Good-bye...summer and magic and adventure and all that's wonderful in life."   from Jeanne Birdsall's The Penderwicks


Another summer is fading fast in the rear view mirror. We said goodbye to Jon Stewart and Dave Letterman. We said hello to state fairs, summer reading programs, and the hottest month (July) on record according to NOAA. And did you walk into any store or stroll down a city sidewalk without hearing Walk the Moon's "Shut Up and Dance With Me"? Settled back in classrooms, students are asked to share what they did on their summer vacations. Adults will focus on autumn to-do lists. This is a new beginning of sorts, not quite the start of a new year, but still a fresh season filled with promise and hope. And cooler air?

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It's bonus time for readers with so many new books in the coming months. Check the shelves for these new books by Joyce Carol Oates, Elizabeth Gilbert, Erica Jong, Terry Pratchett, Jan Karon, Jonathan Franzen, Lee Child, Danielle Steel, Hilary Mantel, Mindy Kaling, Jenny Lawson, Ransom Riggs, Camilla Lackberg, Christopher J. Yates, Margaret Atwood and the Old Farmer's Almanac. 

September is Be Kind to Writers and Editors Month, International Women's Friendship Month, Library Card Sign-Up Month, Self-improvement Month, National Potato and Rice Month.


                              September Days

3   - Birth of Malcolm Gladwell, 1963. Outliers

4   - Birth of Richard Wright, 1908. Native Son

6   - National Read a Book Day

7   - Labor Day

8   - International Literacy Day
       National Grandparents Day

11  - Birth of Andre Dubus III, 1959. The House of Sand and Fog

15  - Birth of Agatha Christie, 1890. The Body in the Library  

19  - International Talk Like a Pirate Day

20  - Birth of George R.R. Martin, 1948. A Game of Thrones

21  - World Gratitude Day
        Birth of Stephen King, 1947. The Shining

22  - Dear Diary Day

23  - First Day of Autumn

24  - National Punctuation Day. What is your favorite punctuation mark?!,";
        Birth of F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1896. The Great Gatsby

25  - National Comic Book Day
        Birth of William Faulkner, 1897. A Light in August

26  - Birth of T.S. Eliot, 1888. The Waste Land

28  - National Museum Day. Many museums in the United States will be offering free or reduced admission today. Check out a museum in your community.

29  - Birth of Miguel de Cervantes, 1547. Don Quixote

30  - Anniversary of Little Women, 1868.

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                             August


Mark Twain: "Warm summer sun, shine kindly here. Warm southern wind, blow softly here...Good night, dear heart. Good night, good night."


Who hit the fast forward button? As August days rush by, we watch as summer hastens to an end. In my house, panic is settling in as we look around at projects started but unfinished. Promised but still undone. There are closets to be cleaned, shutters to hang, and a basement to be organized and tidied.

There are also books to be read out on the porch as daylight fades. Included in my leaning tower of books: the children's book by Jeanne Birdsall, "The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy;" "Disclaimer," a thriller by Renee Knight; and Dean Bakopoulos' novel that examines adulthood, "Summerlong." 

Readers will be happy to find new books by Sue Grafton, Philippa Gregory, Jennifer Weiner, Christopher Moore, Drew Daywalt, Haruki Murakami, James Patterson, Margaret Maron, Meg Waite Clayton, Leslie Meier, Peter Robinson, Sophie Hannah and Louise Penny. 

August is American Adventures Month & National Read-a-Romance Month.

                      
                                  August Days

1-5   -  National Scrabble Week 

4      -  Birth of Dennis Lehane, 1965. Mystic River

7       - Birth of Garrison Keillor, 1942. Lake Wobegon Days

10     - Birth of Suzanne Collins, 1962. The Hunger Games

12    -  Vinyl Record Day
            Birth of Ann Martin, 1955. A Corner of the Universe; Babysitters Club

14    -  Birth of Gary Larson, 1950. The Far Side

18    -  Bad Poetry Day (The choice is yours)

20     -  Birth of H. P. Lovecraft, 1890. At the Mountains of Madness

21    -   Poet's Day (When you recover from all the bad poetry)

22    -  International Tongue Twister Day (Riley Weber: Fresh fried fish, fish fried fresh)

24    -  Birth of John Green, 1977. The Fault in our Stars

26    -  Birth of Barbara Ehrenreich, 1941. Bright-sided; Nickel and Dimed

30   -   Birth of Mary Shelley, 1797. Frankenstein


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